New England Intermediate Rough Water Symposium
Point Judith, RI, USA
Friday, June 11th, 2010 - Sunday, June 13th, 20 10
Venue and Tide Tables
Fishers Race / Race Rock Light:
Fishers Race / Race Rock Light: Fishers Race can be a committing journey to lively, exciting rough water. The Race at the Rock goes off on both the Flood and the Ebb (faster on the later). There is a considerable eddy formed behind the lighthouse. Exposed out here you come to understand quickly the value of surfing, edging, a solid group, and the considerable value of having a realistic plan for when things go bad. Once you have it down, it’s a blast! Until your tidal race skills and knowledge are in place, be careful. On the ebb, paddlers are continuously pulled out toward the Atlantic. When swell or wind opposes the tidal flow, things bump up appreciably. On Springs currents are nearly twice as fast.
All of Long Island Sounds’ water funnels directly by and around Fishers Island on both the flood and ebb. This makes for exciting day paddles. On Springs, this paddle is a committing journey to largish or jobbly water on the BCU 5 Star level with its “no landing zones” and open, exposed fast moving stretches of water. Your decision to participate in a paddle out here should be given serious consideration.
Leaving from Groton Long Point, the paddle out to the West end of Fishers Island is over 5 nm, and may be against some current. Please remember that after a hard play out here, you need to paddle back, often against the last of the ebb. Once we’re on Fishers Island, we’ll lay up on the beach, a last solid spot. We’ll examine the reach out to Race Rock and determine which of the three primary features we want to use for the group.
Between Fishers Island and Race Rock Light, there is Red Nun 2; the stretch from the Island to this Nun is the most conservative feature. There will be standing waves and the water will be moving fast, but the current rapidly decreases toward the back of the reef. If you are in your boat and your strength is decent, you are within an easy paddle to the South side of Fishers Island and the eddies it creates.
A little farther out, between R Nun 2 and Race Rock Light, the waves are larger and the wave train extends much farther back with a clearly defined tear drop shaped eddy forming behind Race Rock Light. The head waves are steep, fast and clean! Depending on the class and conditions, this is where we may practice breaking in and out of the eddy, then using the waves to surf up against the current.
Finally, SW of Race Rock Light the waves get even bigger and are generally a little more confused. This feature is the least conservative of the 3 and highly conditions dependant with its larger flow. It is unlikely we will conduct a class in this area, unless it’s a 5 Star Assessment.
If you are used to tidal races off the UK, like those around Nigel Dennis’s place, you will have little problem.
For those of you joining our Rough Water Symposium, we will provide you with a set of websites to further your studies. Enjoy!
Matunuck Point:
A challenging point break right outside of Point Judith. Short commute to put-in. Weather depending, this venue offers challenges to a variety of skill levels from intermediate to advanced.
Narrows River:
The Narrows River offers protected areas for training and review of skills necessary for surfing kayaks. This shore break has a nice sandy bottom and the surf is current enhanced. Ever changing, this venue is suitable for those just learning to master the skill of long boat surfing or for the more skilled that want to hone in their boat control in surf.
Wicopesset Passage:
Wicopesset Passage: Learn the basics of Tidal Stream paddling in a protected area. A great place to gain confidence while working on navigation, rescues and group control. Water features include submerged rock ledges and smaller standing waves
Fort Wetherill / Newport:
Fort Wetherill / Newport: Whether gunkholing along the rocky shores of
Jamestown or playing in the rock gardens before the Mansions of a by-
gone era, the area gives you a spectacular opportunity to practice your boat handling skills along a one of a kind shoreline.
Napatree Point:
A place where you’re meeting the ocean swells head on! Napatree
is where the really big rides are for long boats; deep water with sandy bottom, this is a great place to catch a ride! Just make sure you get off the wave before the old half submerged jetty!
Sugar Reef/Catumb Rock Description
As the waters of Long Island Sound ebb and rush up the coast towards Block Island they flow up and over a series of reefs that jut out from Watch Hill and arc over to East Pt on Fishers Island. These reefs and features are our play spots! Chief amongst these are Sugar Reef and Catumb Rock.
Sugar Reef
Sugar Reef is a few hundred yards wide or so and offers beautiful, clean wave faces as the sound is forced up and over the reef. Sugar is a great place to work on timing and the importance of having different “gears” in your strokes quickly becomes self evident. The only rest spot is a narrow eddy formed behind a spar but no worries, if you do fall off the headwall and through the reef, the current relaxes a short distance back with Watch Hill and Napatree Beaches a NM or so away.
Catumb Rock
Just SW of Sugar Reef is Catumb Rock; this feature is formed from these same reefs between Watch Hill and East Pt and offers much of the same opportunities and challenges with the added bonus that you get to see the ocean pound around a very large rock in its journey to the open Atlantic. Definitely NOT a place you want to try to seal land!